DIY oil changes effect on car value (insurance, vehicle, exhaust)
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I'm in the market for a used car and have noticed how many places are presenting the CarFax report. The cars that were taken into a lube shop on a regular schedule are appealing because you know the oil got changed on time, but just because it wasn't in a lube shop doesn't mean the oil wasn't changed -- it's one of the most common DIY jobs for a car. But you can't really prove that you changed your own oil on a regular basis.
So my question is, how much does doing your own oil change affect the value of the car? Does it outweigh the savings?
Considering how often quick lube places screw up, I wouldn't count them as a benefit. Often times, DIYers will have receipts for their oil changes that go with the car.
Look in the oil cap and see if there's any sludge, that'll tell you if oil was changed regularly or not. The color of the oil is no telltale, however, as it can get dark pretty quick. Other than that, if there's now receipts than just perform an oil change and go on with life.
Tiffer is on to something. Quick lube places were notorious for screwing things up and many were exposed for not actually changing the oil and/or filter. I don't think DIYers would affect the value at all. If a motor was neglected, it will show and should be obvious to anyone with the slightest skill in automotive evaluations. You could always send an oil sample to Blackstone Labs, check the exhaust tips or O2 sensors for soot, compression ratios for leaks at the valves, but many DIYers keep a log of their maintenance records....I keep my on Google Docs.
I'm in the market for a used car and have noticed how many places are presenting the CarFax report. The cars that were taken into a lube shop on a regular schedule are appealing because you know the oil got changed on time, but just because it wasn't in a lube shop doesn't mean the oil wasn't changed -- it's one of the most common DIY jobs for a car. But you can't really prove that you changed your own oil on a regular basis.
So my question is, how much does doing your own oil change affect the value of the car? Does it outweigh the savings?
For me, none whatsoever. In my life, I have bought three (IIRC) new vehicles. the other thirty or forty were all used, mostly private party purchases. I think I bought one that came with a stack of maintenance records.
Out of all the vehicles I have sold, not one buyer asked for such records.
As for Carfax reports, if anybody ever ran one on a vehicle I was selling, they never mentioned it to me, and I have seldom asked for them. They are only as good as the reporting system, and the reports may or may not be valid. I know of one case where a car was involved in a minor fender bender, the insurance company repaired it good as new, then said it was totaled. was it reported to Carfax as totaled? I don't know, a Carfax report hasn't been requested AFAIK. The owners are still driving it.
So, if you did your own oil changes, there is no way I would know, and I would not care.
I record all repairs and maintenance in a little notebook I keep in the glovebox of each car I own.
I haven't sold a lot of cars at prices where the buyer would care about this (I mean, no one cares about maintenance records on a 20 year old $400 car), but the notebook would be there. Easy peasy. No one would go to the trouble of faking 15 years of notes about oil changes, done in different pens/pencils, with dates, in a little shabby spiral notebook that has clearly been knocking about in the glovebox for the last 15 years. I mean, someone could do that, but any even semi-reasonable buyer would recognize that my notebook of maintenance records is not faked.
I record all repairs and maintenance in a little notebook I keep in the glovebox of each car I own.
I haven't sold a lot of cars at prices where the buyer would care about this (I mean, no one cares about maintenance records on a 20 year old $400 car), but the notebook would be there. Easy peasy. No one would go to the trouble of faking 15 years of notes about oil changes, done in different pens/pencils, with dates, in a little shabby spiral notebook that has clearly been knocking about in the glovebox for the last 15 years. I mean, someone could do that, but any even semi-reasonable buyer would recognize that my notebook of maintenance records is not faked.
Way off topic but something you wrote about pens. I've used the same type of pen, black ink roller ball, for decades. Everything I write, unless it's something I want to highlight for some reason or otherwise call attention to, is in that black roller ball ink.
Oh, depending on what I'm highlighting, it's either green or red ball point.
Most would be surprised at how stupid people are when selling a used car.
The first thing that I check is the oil. If it is not clear clean and at top - I don't buy the car.
The second thing I check is the automatic transmission fluid. If it is not pink (there is also clear) and at top - I don't buy car.
Most would be surprised at how stupid people are when selling a used car.
The first thing that I check is the oil. If it is not clear clean and at top - I don't buy the car.
The second thing I check is the automatic transmission fluid. If it is not pink (there is also clear) and at top - I don't buy car.
Lots of newer cars with lifetime fill and no dipstick for the trans. Like my car. And a car that had it's engine oil changed a thousand miles ago might have dark il already, but still be good for another 4000 miles or more, So just looking at it and looking for clean and clear is faulty logic.
But you can't really prove that you changed your own oil on a regular basis.
I keep all my receipts for automotive maintenance and show them for a private party sale of my older vehicle.
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